Pitless well construction



J. G. BAKER PITLEss WELL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 3,' 1953Filed Nom. 21, 1950 Nov. 3, 1953 J. G. BAKER PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 21, 1950 Patented Nov. 3, 1953 g drivecooperate with the latter to define an annular recess 32 whichcommunicates with the pump outlet passages I9 and with the casing outletI2. As shown in Fig. 3, the latter is disposed near the top of theannular recess 32 so as to permit air accumulating in the recess toescape through the outlet and the delivery pipe I3.

The impeller 33 of the pump I5 is of well known construction andjournaled in the casing I1 to rotate in a horizontal plane, the outerends of its E centrifugal passages 34 being movable across the innerends of the outlet passages I9. At their inner ends, the impellerpassages communicate with the suction inlet 36 of the pump through ahollow hub 3'I which is integral with the impeller and ilts with a closeclearance in a cylindrical part 38 in the lower part IIb of the pumpcasing. The inlet 36 is cored in the casting Ilb and a casting 39clamped against the bottom of the latter by screws 40. delivered to thepump inlet 36 through a vertical suction pipe 4I disclosed within thecasing section I9 and threaded at its upper end 42 into the casting 39.

Within the pump casing I'I, the impeller 33 is clamped by a screw 43 tothe lower end of a drive shaft I6 which extends .upwardly along the axisof the well casing II and is journaled in spaced anti-friction bearings4 4 mounted in a tubular extension 45 which is cast integral with theupper part I'Ia of the pump housing. Beyond the lower bearing 44, thelower end portion of the shaft I6 projects loosely through a ring 46pressed into a hole 48 in the housing wall and having a flat inner endsurface 41. bears against a similar surface on a ring 49 urged againstthe ring 46 by a spring 56 which acts between the ring 49 and a shoulder5I on the upper hub of the impeller 33.

The ring 49 is sealed around the shaft I6 by a sleeve 52 of yieldablematerial. The pump casing is thus effectually sealed around the shaftI6. Any water escaping between the engaging surfaces of the rings 46 and49 is received into a recess 53 cast in the pump housing and openinglaterally at the top of a Well 54 in the top of the spool 23. Suchleakage water flows down through a hole 55 and is returned to the well.

To maintain efficient operation of the pump and effectiveness of theseal around the drive shaft, provision is made for effective disposal ofo the air which is drawn into the pump casing along with the water beingpumped. For this purpose, the uppermost part of the pump recess I8 isdisposed below the upper part of the outlet I2 from the well casing andalso communicates with the annular recess 32 around the supporting head23. Herein, such communication is achieved through a hole 56 formed atthe top of the cylindrical part 5l of the pump casing. With the pumpchamber thus constructed and arranged, any air entering the pump willrise in the chamber I8 and escape out through the hole 56, the recess32, and the delivery pipe I3. The pumping system is thus freed of airautomatically and the engaging surfaces of the shaft seal are at alltimes kept submerged in water by which they are lubricated effectually.Wear at the rubbing surfaces of the rings 46 and 49 is thus minimized sothat the shaft seal Will remain effectual through long service use.

The shaft I6 is driven by a rotary power actuator, an electric motor 58in this instance whose frame is held against turning with respect to thesupporting spool 23 so that the driving torque Water from the well is ,I

The latter l applied to the shaft does not tend to turn the spool andthe seal rings 26 and 28 within the well casing. To this end, the motorhousing is fast on the upper end of a tube 59 whose lower end is coupledas by threads 6D to the tubular extension 45 of the pump casing. Thetube 59 projects through and is centered relative to the well casing IIby a cap 6I bolted to the top of the casing.

One end bell of the motor housing is threaded at 63 onto the upper endof the tube 59 through Which the shaft I6 extends for connection by acoupling 62 with the lower end of the vertical motor shaft 64. Since themotor housing is thus connected rigidly to the pump casing I1, the motortorque is applied directly to the pump impeller and there is no tendencyfor the spool 23 to turn within the well casing during operation of themotor.

With the rotary pump thus mounted in the well exteriorly of the buildingto be supplied with Water and with the drive shaft disposed vertically,the pump may be operated readily from an auxiliary source of power inthe event of failure of the electric power supply. This is accomplishedsimply by attaching a drive pulley 65 to the upper exposedend of themotor shaft 64. A suitable belt may be extended around the pulley whenit is desired to operate the pump by a tractor or other stand-by powersource.

The pump I5 mounted withinthe well casing in the manner described above,is especially adapted for use in deep well pumping systems of theso-called jet type in which water at the pump outlet pressure is forcedthrough the nozzle 66 and into a Venturi tube 61 whose inlet endcommunicates With the body of Water in the well. Herein, the Venturitube is mounted in the lower end of the tube 4I which leads to the pumpinlet 36. The lower end of the tube 4I threads into a casting 69 inwhich the jet nozzle 66 is formed above a foot-valve 69. The lower endof the casting is open and covered by a screen 19.

The nozzle is supplied with water under pressure through a pipe 'Ildisposed alongside the suction pipe 4I and threaded at its lower endinto the jet casting 68. At its upper end, the pipe threads at 'I2 intoa hole formed in the bottom cap 39 of the spool 23 and communicatingthrough a passage 'I3 in the spool with the annular passage 32 intowhich water is discharged under pressure by the pump. In operation, partof the water delivered by the pump is forced back through the pipe 'IIto the nozzle 66 and the resulting Venturi action draws water from thewell upwardly through the screen 79 and forces the same upwardly intothe pipe 4I fromwhich it is drawn into the pump proper.

With the deep well installation thus provided, it will be observed thatthe Venturi unit *I4 and all parts of the passages for supplied waterunder pressure to the nozzle 66 are disposed wholly within the wellcasing leaving the single delivery pipe I3 as the only connectionbetween the well casing and the tank I4. The latter pipe is al- Waysunder pressure and, as a result, there is no possibility of the waterbeing contaminated by seepage into the system through leaks which mayinadvertently exist or develop in service.

To install the pump above described, the pump, the pipes 4I and 1I, theVenturi unit 14, and the tube 59 are joined together as a rigid assemblyand lowered endwise into the upper part of the well casing Il. When thelower end of the spool seats on the bevel 25, the rings 23 and Y2i.

monaca? will be compressed within the casing forming pressure tightseals at opposite ends of the spool. The cap 6I is secured in place andthe motor attached thus completing the installation. If it becomesnecessary in service to remove the pump for repair or otherwise, thewhole assembly may be withdrawn from the well after removing the boltsfor the cap 6I.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pitless well construction, the combination of, an elongatedcasing adapted to be opened at the top, a hollow head insertable intoand withdrawable endwise from said casing from the top thereof andcooperating with the interior thereof to define an outlet recess, a pumpchamber Within said head, a centrifugal pump having an irnpellerdisposed within said chamber and journaled in said head, a shaftcarrying said impeller and extending upwardly along said well casing foractuation from a point above the top of the latter, said recessextending upwardly at least as high as said chamber, means on said headdening a passage connecting the upper portion of said pump chamber withsaid recess and permitting the natural ow of air from the pump chamberinto the recess, and means defining a water delivery outlet extendinglaterally through said casing near the upper part of said recess.

2. In a pitless well construction, the combination of, an elongatedcasing adapted to be opened at the top, a hollow head insertable intoand withdrawable endwise from said casing from the top thereof andcooperating with the interior thereof to define an outlet recess, a pumpchamber within said head, a centrifugal pump having an impeller disposedwithin said chamber and journaled in said head, a shaft carrying saidimpeller and extending upwardly along said well casing for actuationfrom a point above the top of the latter, means on said head defining apassage connecting the upper part of said pump chamber and said recessand permitting the natural fiow of air out of the chamber and into therecess whereby to maintain the chamber substantially lled with water atall times, and a water delivery outlet extending through said casing andcommunicating with said recess to permit air flowing through saidpassage to escape through said outlet.

JOHN GORDON BAKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,252,773 Lageson Aug. 19, 1941 2,478,941 Piccardo Aug. 16,1949 2,529,062 Williams Nov. 7, 1950

